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Pair of French mirrored mahogany wood étagères

Description

The étagères (open shelves) are composed of mahogany backs which are inset with mirrored panels. Each item features three rounded rectangular shelves, the edges of which are reeded. Each set of shelves is supported by two upright brass posts which are reeded and set on tapered brass feet.

This type of furniture became fashionable in Europe in the late 18th and 19th Centuries. They were used to display collections of decorative objects on, such as vases, plates or figurines. The French version of these shelves was called the étagère, while the English model was called a what-not—named as such because it displayed all kinds of things, colloquially called ‘whatnot’.